Being ignored was not high on her list. In fact, she downright despised it. Especially if it was her husband doing the ignoring. To the world she may not look like someone who craved or needed attention, but she still appreciated it. She was a rather stoic woman and did not display her emotions openly. But she was still a woman, after all, and had her moments of vanity.
A bored sigh escaped her lips as she recalled the morning, a frown tugging at the corner. She had been hoping that she could have a little extra time with her husband before he went hustling off to meeting after meeting after... But it was only a quick peck on lips after he dressed in his regal robes and off he went. She hadn't seen him since.
She looked out the window to see the sun had crawled through most of the afternoon. It would be sunset before long. She wondered if she would even see her husband for dinner. He mumbled something about a meeting in the evening with his advisors. Sometimes she wish all the old coots would just keel over. Ah, but she knew it would be bad for the nation if they died. She sighed again as she moved out of the window seat she had been tucked away in all afternoon.
When marrying her husband, she knew what she was signing up for. He was the Fire Lord and he had a duty to run the Fire Nation to the best of his abilities. One wold think after five years that there wouldn't be so many meetings. But it took time to recover from a long war, especially if your nation was the reason for it.
However, she thought she should be able to at least see her husband on their anniversary.
Opening the door to the library, she noticed something out of the norm. One, there were no guards or servants around—or at least none that could be seen. Two, there was a trail of rose petals on the floor. She blinked twice before the wheels in her clever mind began to turn. Hmm... Roses. She knew this one. Against her better, cautious judgement, she began to follow the trail. It wound through the halls of the palace, leading her by all her favorite rooms. The trail veered off to a door that she knew belonged to the solarium. This particular room was her favorite as she could see the sunrise and the sunset, which always reminded her of her handsome husband.
Opening the door to the solarium, she could see sunset just beginning. The colors were brilliant that evening, as though they knew an event was taking place. Her eyes caught the rose trail again, which lead them to see her husband standing not far away. His dark hair was out of its typical topknot and was flowing around his face. He kept his hair about shoulder length since the war ended. His clothes were relaxed and loose; just a red tunic lined in gold and black pants. He wore no shoes. He was standing next to a low table that was covered in candles of various sizes and more rose petals. She could see two plates on the table, but no food. There were also two glasses filled with a deep, red wine.
She looked at her husband with curiosity and a raised eyebrow. It was then she noticed his hands were behind his back. He looked at her with a soft, uneven smile.
"So, what's the occasion?" she asked. She was never one to beat around the bush. She knew that this was to do with their anniversary, but she didn't want to directly ruin the moment. She figured his all day meetings were really him running around like a romantic doof.
"I know that I have not been very attentive as a husband lately," he said, a little bashful. "But I always remember when our anniversary is. I wanted to do something special for you, even if I had to throw you off this morning. Happy anniversary."
From behind his back, he brought out another plate. This one held the most delectable fruit tart she had ever seen. It was in the shape of a heart—how poignantly cheesy—and covered with a dark red fruit and dark chocolate. On top of it laid a delicate whole rose in white. She stepped closer to him and the tart, neither of which she could resist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, which he snaked one arm around her waist and the other held the tart away from them.
Pulling back from him, she gave a small smile—a rare thing indeed!—and said, "I've been mad at you all day for ignoring me. But this might make up for it." She kissed him again before she snatched the plate with the tart from his hand. She poked her finger into the tart and stuck it in her mouth with some of the fruit filling. She gave a little moan of delight and said, "Black raspberries from the Air Nation?"
"I've been planning on this for a while," he shrugged like it was nothing at all to coax the Air Nomads into handing over their famous black raspberries. Of course, he had to seal a trade agreement with them to get the little fruits, but the look on her face was well worth it.
She sat down at the low table with the tart and set it between their plates. Looking around, she began to notice the other candles in the room as he would discretely light one from time to time. And the bouquets of roses sitting in vases all over. Genuinely smiling, she looked up at him and said, "You are such a romantic fool."
"Anything for you."